Air and Aerodynamics Flashcards
Aerodynamics
The science of moving through air.
Air
An invisible mixture of gases which make up the Earth’s atmosphere - it consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
Airfoil
A shape designed to provide lift when air flows around it.
Air Pressure
The force exerted on the surface of objects by the weight of air particles - air pressure acts from all directions and increases with the increased concentration of air molecules.
Air resistance
Resistance or friction that acts to slow down an object as it moves through the air.
Atmosphere
The mass of air which surrounds the earth.
Barbules
Projections on barbs that link with those above and below them to keep all the barbs connected making a solid feather surface.
Bernoulli’s principle
When the speed of a fluid is low (water or air), the pressure is high. When the speed of a fluid is high the pressure is low. The faster that air moves across a surface, the lower the air pressure.
Burning
A rapid form of oxidation in which substances combine with oxygen to form one or more oxides and plenty of heat and light, also called combustion.
Compression
The squeezing of the particles of a gas or porous body into a smaller space.
Contour feathers
The larger feathers that cover the body of birds and their wings. Contour feathers include flight feathers.
Down
Short fluffy feathers that lie underneath contour feathers. These feathers trap air and act as an insulator helping birds stay warm.
Drag
Resistance or friction that acts to slow down an object as it moves through a gas or liquid.
Expand
To take up more room.
Friction
The force that resists the motion of one body over or through another.
Glider
A aircraft that flies without an engine - its pilot tries to find updrafts of air to gain height and extend the flight.
Gravity
A force of attraction that every mass in the universe exerts on other masses.
This force increases in the mass of an object.
Hovercraft
A machine that floats on a cushion of compressed air.
Jet engine
An engine that generates a powerful thrust in a chamber where the explosion of the burning fuel pushes on the airplane in a forward direction but escapes out the back.
Keratin
A tough flexible protein that makes up fingernails and other parts of animals including the shaft of feathers.
Kinetic energy
Energy of motion. The faster an object moves the more kinetic energy it has.
Lift
The upward force which acts against the force of gravity - reducing air pressure on the top side of an airfoil produces lift.
Mass
The amount of matter in an object.
Pectoral muscles
Muscles of the chest.
Preening
The act o rubbing preen gland oil on the feathers with the beak and zipping up the barbules again.
Propeller
A curved blade that, when spun around quickly, forces an aircraft forward - a propeller is a twisted airfoil.
Oxidation
Occurs when a substance combines with oxygen.
Resistance
Drag or friction that acts to slow down an object as it moves through a gas or liquid.
Rusting
A slow chemical reaction between iron and oxygen to and from rust or iron oxide.
Streamlining
The shaping of an object so that a gas or liquid will move easily around it.
Thrust
The force that causes an object to move forward.
Weight
The force with which gravity pulls on an object - technically it should be expressed in Newtons but is often measured in units of mass such as grams or kilograms.
Photosynthesis
Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen to make food.
Respiration
Humans use oxygen to breathe and they release carbon dioxide.
